A-League TV ratings hit for six

Jon Pierik and Michael Lynch

While A-League television ratings have risen from last season, a leading media strategist claims there are ''worrying dynamics'' in recent weeks, with the numbers of viewers slipping.

According to independent media communication agency Fusion Strategy, the A-League averaged a modest 61,000 viewers last weekend, the second lowest this season and behind only week 10 of competition. On each of these occasions the ratings fell below last year's average for that particular week.

The television build-up to an A-League match between Brisbane Roar and the Newcastle Jets at Hunter Stadium, Newcastle. Photo: Simone De Peak

Friday night's feature clash, albeit between struggling clubs Melbourne Heart and Newcastle Jets, attracted only a combined 110,000 viewers on host broadcasters Fox Sports and SBS2, the lowest this season since SBS2 began broadcasting.

The season began well, averaging about 140,000 viewers in week one, a healthy rise on last year, and peaked at about 150,000 in week six. But the figures have steadily slipped since.

Concerns about the A-League have emerged as the Ten Network enjoys average ratings of about 800,000 for its $100 million investment in cricket's Twenty20 Big Bash League, while Seven's tennis coverage continues to also pull strong figures.

But Fox Sports says that since December 20 when the BBL began, its A-League ratings are down only one per cent on last season, and have held up well.

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Ratings for the A-League were up 21 per cent in the first three weeks of the BBL, compared with the preceding three rounds, while the average audiences for rounds 11 through to 13 were up 13 per cent on last year.

Discussing his figures, Fusion Strategy chief executive Steve Allen said the A-League was suffering from being an uneven competition and one in which viewers could be lured away when the cricket and tennis were on.

''At the moment, I think the data tells us, for the upside in the audience [from last season] … if tennis and cricket are on at the same time, or around as they are at the moment over the weekends, [the] A-League is going to come off worse,'' he said.

''Not worse as in last year's figures, we haven't got to that yet, but we are starting to get close.'' In its weekly review, Fusion Strategy declared the ''A-League seems to be getting quite severely knocked around and starved of audience, by other sporting codes''.

''This weekend will be equally challenging, so no relief, and if anything a little more pressure,'' it said.

A-League chief Damien de Bohun said on balance the game's governing body was satisfied with the overall picture, even if some of the recent indicators had tailed off as competition from cricket and other areas intensified.

According to de Bohun, attendances are up eight per cent this year, with a cumulative 48 per cent growth since 2010, while broadcast figures have increased 29 per cent year-on-year and membership at clubs 30 per cent.

''FFA [Football Federation Australia] is really excited with the sustained growth of the Hyundai A-League across broadcast, digital, crowds and membership for the third consecutive season,'' de Bohun said in a statement.

''Football is now ingrained in the mainstream of Australian sport and that's a massive, historical breakthrough.

''The widespread popularity of the Socceroos and A-League sits on top of the biggest participation base in the nation, so the progress is built on solid foundations.

''Like any national sporting season which runs for eight months of the year there will always be peaks and troughs and we are on track for the strongest season in the history of the Hyundai A-League in 2013-14.''

Allen said Fox Sports needed to continue to work hard helping to develop the sport.

Network Ten chief executive Hamish McLennan has been overjoyed with the BBL's success, which appears to have even helped the network's share price rally by almost 10¢ in recent weeks. Allen said he had not been surprised by the BBL's ratings.